Author Archives : Doug Jenkins

About the author ⁄ Doug Jenkins

The North Baltimore school district has hired someone to help streamline special education services and money. The Courier reports Laura Warden will serve the district as the special services director. In her role, Warden will oversee services once provided by three people in the Wood County Educational Service Center.

Superintendent Ryan Delaney says the move will help the district be more efficient in providing services. It will also save around $40,000 a year.

The St. Wendelin school and parish in Fostoria has a new director. The Courier reports Matthew Meyers has been named to the post. He’ll start on August 3. Meyers takes the place of Brian Shaver. Shaver told the newspaper he couldn’t go into the specifics of his departure, but confirmed he is no longer employed at the parish.

St. Wendelin Reverend Todd Dominique issued a statement saying, “it has been determined that this position now requires a different kind of focus and a different kind of approach, hence, a different kind of leadership.” He added that they wished Shaver well as he leaves the position.

Traffic on I-75 south of Findlay was brought to a stand still Tuesday after a utility truck caught fire. The State Highway Patrol reports the incident happened around 3:45 p.m. in the northbound lanes near Rawson. It took nearly two hours for the accident site to return to normal.

A man being held in the Hancock County jail is facing a longer sentence for alleged unruly behavior. The Courier reports 28-year-old Nathan Brogan of Findlay is accused of throwing urine and feces at a female corrections officer. Brogan allegedly has the hepatitis virus. As a result, he’s charged with harassment with a bodily fluid for the June 8 incident.

Brogan was already in jail on charges of falsification, petty theft, resisting arrest, and obstructing official business.

Preparing a community for disasters can sometimes mean planning for gruesome scenarios. An agreement reached between Hancock County and the city of Findlay does just that. The plan agreed upon by the two sides would see the Findlay Airport used as a temporary morgue in a mass casualty situation…

A big reason for the increase was a sudden spike in payment from one entity in the county. While Rauschenberg said she couldn’t disclose the business, she did say their line item doubled from last July.

Rauschenberg says the increase was a nice surprise. She added that the extra money will give the county a bit of a cushion against the upcoming sales tax holiday August 7 through 9.

A Columbus Grove man was killed in a motorcycle accident in Henry County over the weekend. The Henry County Sheriff’s Office reports the crash happened on State Route 18 near Holgate around 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

49-year-old James Martin was riding his motorcycle east when he lost control at a railroad crossing. The motorcycle went off the side of the road and crashed into stones by the roadside.

Martin was taken to Henry County Hospital in Napoleon where he later passed away.

A Findlay man was arrested on an outstanding warrant over the weekend after his dog led police to right to him. The Findlay Police Department reports they found 25-year-old Antonio Ortega early Saturday morning. An officer on patrol in the 500 block of Defiance Avenue noticed a dog wandering in the area and decided to follow it.

The dog led the officer to the porch of a home at 740 Glenn Avenue. Ortega came out of the house to get the dog, but was arrested instead. He was wanted in connection with a juvenile court warrant.

If marijuana is legalized in Ohio, Findlay can’t ban medical dispensaries from opening in the city. Findlay Law Director Don Rasmussen tells the Courier zoning codes can’t block a legal business from operating in the city. He added codes can be created to determine where medical dispensaries could be located. That means city council could work to keep the businesses away from residential areas, but not out of the city altogether.

If the legalization amendment appears on the November ballot and is approved, recreational dispensaries would be regulated more strictly. Stores that sell recreational pot would have to be approved by local precinct voters, much like liquor sales. Medical dispensaries would face fewer restrictions.

The ResponsibleOhio organization is trying to get the amendment on the ballot. However, more than half of the signatures on its petitions were recently ruled to be invalid.

Findlay officials are working to bring the city’s retirement rules in line with Ohio laws. The Courier reports an ad-hoc committee of city council members talked about the issue Monday. The discussion stemmed from months of debate over whether former Fire Chief Tom Lonyo was old enough to retire from his position or not.

Lonyo retired in January to take a safety job with Marathon Petroleum. Initially it looked like Lonyo didn’t meet city’s retirement age, but Law Director Don Rasmussen said state law allows Lonyo to retire at the age of 46.

If approved, Findlay’s law will change to reflect wording in the Ohio Revised Code when it comes to defining retirement.